California

Police investigate after man, deer killed in crash on SR-125, CBS8.com, April 17, 2018A 44-year-old South Bay man whose car struck and killed a deer on a toll-road overpass near Sweetwater Reservoir early Tuesday lost his own life shortly thereafter when he plunged off the roughly 50-foot- tall bridge.

Belvedere deer task force submits abatement options, Marinij.com, March 18, 2018Belvedere residents who want to keep the pesky deer from scrounging their yards now have an updated list of recommended deer-resistant plants to choose from said to be unpalatable to the unruly herd. And if that isn’t enough, residents are encouraged to put up deer fences. But temporary barriers won’t do. And any proposed fence would be subject to design review at City Hall for approval.

Belvedere deer droppings could reveal whether population needs managing, MarinIJ.com, Aug 5, 2016Belvedere officials could spend big bucks for a stool study that would determine how many deer populate the stately island. The proposal would be performed in stages with the first leg estimated at about $17,000. If more research is needed, the project could run the city’s tab up to $70,000. The costly study comes as the council considers a controversial deer sterilization program proposed by a grassroots committee who says the deer population of about 100 deer is out of control.

Belvedere deer sterilization program receives mixed reviews, Marinij.com, May 21, 2016Marin wildlife experts are already shaking their heads at the proposal, saying the plan is excessive and a study should be done to identify the problem and an appropriate solution. However, a previous effort to manage the deer that involved a 14-member committee, months of study and thousands of dollars spent has left some community members frustrated that more needs to be done. “We have way too many deer,” said Wyman Harris, who started the 2016 Deer Group with four others. “This past year, any place that was not fenced was eaten down to bare ground,” he said.

Ticks and all, Sonoma County is ground zero for Lyme disease in California, Press Democrat, March 5, 2016Sonoma County is ground zero for Lyme disease in California, with 41 confirmed cases — more than any other county — from 2010 to 2014. Mendocino and Humboldt counties have fewer cases, but join Sonoma on the list of nine counties with the highest rate of cases per 100,000 people. Put in perspective, California’s overall Lyme disease infection rate of 0.2 cases per 100,000 is minuscule compared with rates of 50 to 70 cases in New England. There were 410 Lyme disease cases in California between 2010 and 2014, less than one-half percent of the 121,501 reported cases nationwide, according to the CDC.

San Jose: Deer at the Villages to be sterilized, San Jose Mercury News, Jan 22, 2013The state Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the operation. DeNicola acknowledged there is a chance that some deer may die. But he said a similar program he recently completed near Ithaca, N.Y., saw five deaths out of 172 deer handled, a rate he called “unheard of.” DeNicola added that two were already suffering from injuries that would have resulted in a painful death had they not been euthanized.
At The Villages, the 30 relocated animals will be placed just outside the community’s fence, and DeNicola said that will minimize stress that comes from transporting the animals.

Deer charging people, dogs in the Berkeley hills, Berkleyside, June 5, 2012On May 29, a deer charged several times at a hiker at the intersection of Oak Path and Oak Street, said Berkeley Path Wanderers Association President Keith Skinner. The deer left the scene only when another person and a dog arrived.

Are we helpless?

"The native plants are tramped down, the bushes are gnawed, and my three-year-old grandson can't play in the back yard because of the deer droppings. If humans entered our property and exacted such a toll we would have legal recourse We're watching the curb appeal and property value decline at a time when our taxes are rising. We are without defense."
M. Holland, Ann Arbor resident